Keeping Your Personal Information Secure Through Disaster

Would the government dissolve in the case of an
apocalyptic disaster? While we always talk about a doomsday-like situation, in
which the government is dissolved and total anarchy ensues, it may not be as
quickly done with as you think. In the case of such a disaster, it’s important
to be reasonably prepared for not just a wasteland but whatever form of
government you might live in post-apocalypse.

Empires rarely fall in a day, and it’s wise not
to expect that to happen. Government will most likely still exist in some form,
and we’ll still use technology. If anything, these things will matter more
because of public tensions. Desperate people sometimes do desperate things. So,
since we do live in an age of technology, let’s talk about the importance of
your legal and technological identity in times of disastrous turmoil to keep
safe from desperate people and those that mean harm.

Personal Prep

Similarly to the way you should use oxygen masks
on an airplane, take care of yourself before your neighbor next to you. Staying
proactive for yourself first will open you up to helping others. So for
starters, keep your personal information in a physically safe location, apart
from your computer in case it crashes or the cloud system you may use goes
under. Some professionals recommend using an encrypted USB to keep on your
person. Although this is risky, data security company Ontrack recommends encrypting a USB for this purpose. Furthermore, you can use hardware encryption software to make it doubly safe.

One of the most important types of apps for survivalists is that which protects your data from the elite that will be
trying to use it when the world is in a state of anarchy. See, when chaos
erupts, people often stop showing self-control; those with access will have no
qualms about using your data for whatever advantage it can give them. While the
cloud can be a sketchy form of information storing, it’s good for emergency
information you might need when talking to medical professionals or accessing
information when everything is gone.

Your Family and Relationships

When it comes to relationships, it becomes
important that your family and close friends are also taken care of. Your information
affects theirs and vice versa — any time you have hung out and it’s been on
social media, or they’ve written about you somewhere, you become each other’s
concern. If you’re a family person, guarding your own online information and teaching your
children about web safety is important. Simple
tools — backing up sensitive data and using effective passwords — can be taught
to children early.

A proactive step you can take is creating a disaster recovery plan, which stands to prevent losing your data in the case of a
natural disaster. This is particularly good for any family data storage systems
because there happens to be so much data involved in a family. All of the
interconnected parts — things you’ve paid for together, your dependents, ways
bills are split and medical records — need to be protected. You don’t want your
family to become a victim of identity theft in the case of an apocalyptic
disaster.

Cleaning House

Now, it’s hard to get the bad data saving habits
out of the way when they’re ingrained in your daily operations. It calls for a
little bit of wisdom, but it may be time to clean house or change the locks, so
to speak. Make sure the way you’re guarding your information is trusted and
that you have more access to it than anyone else. What does this mean?

Well, we don’t mean to discredit the cloud, but
one of the primary rules of avoiding cybercrime attacks is refusing to store your personal info with a website. So beware
of third-party backup systems (though we’re not saying “don’t ever use them” —
just stay skeptical). Change your passwords regularly, and do not use the same
password for everything. We recommend having a cloud backup as well as a
personal backup that’s encrypted, and updating any software that has not been
for some time. Update everything, get rid of what doesn’t work or what’s
sketchy, and keep your information recorded and backed up.

How do you plan on keeping your information safe
in the coming times, scary as they are? Let us know in the comments below!

Author Bio:

Brooke Faulkner writes and raises her sons in the Pacific Northwest. She is always looking for ways to make healthy living an accessible part of every day life. Find more of her writing on twitter, @faulknercreek